By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-07-29 01:05:59 | Updated at 2026-07-29 02:08:01
1 hour ago
A fire has broken out at a historic church in central Leicester, sending smoke billowing out over the city.
Footage circulating social media overnight shows smoke pouring out of the side of St Andrew’s Church, which sits on the corner of Jarrom Street and Gateway Street.
Further images shared online show plumes of smoke creeping out into the night sky.
Locals have so far been urged to shut their doors and windows, but on social media some have complained of the smell of smoke and even burning plastic.
One Reddit user said they could "smell and see it from my flat on other side of the city centre", with another adding it was "stinking out" the city centre.
"Oh no that’s downright sad... A church of all things to go up in flames," another said.
GB News has approached Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service for more information.
So far, the service has only said there is an "incident on Jarrom Street... sending smoke over the city".
St Andrew’s was designed by prolific British architect Sir George Gilbert Scott in the 1860s.
Gilbert Scott was behind the iconic Midland Grand Hotel at London's St Pancras Station, the Albert Memorial and the Foreign Office buildings - also in the capital.
He designed and restored some 800 buildings, primarily churches and chapels, in his lifetime.
More to follow...
